EGB 2: The Sky Is Falling
by A Rhea King
Summary: All of New York and the EGB team are caught up in a demon's dreamscape. If the team has any hope of defeating it, they must first beat him at his own game.
1. Chapter 1

Extreme Ghostbusters:The Sky Is Falling  
By A. Rhea King

Chapter 1

Kylie looked over at Eduardo. He was fast asleep with a grin of pleasure on his face. She shook her head, going back to her book. They weren't doing anything so she wasn't going to wake him up and listen to him whine. Kylie began to daydream as she read and the words merged into black. The phone ringing made Kylie sit up straight, realizing she'd fallen asleep. She got up and answered it on the third ring.

"Ghostbusters," Kylie said, rubbing her eyes. "Mm-hm...mm-hm. Yeah. Yeah. We can be there in fifteen minutes. Bye." Kylie hung up with a yawn. Kylie came back into the living room, stretching.

"You go. I'll stay," Eduardo groaned under the blanket. Kylie walked over and yanked the blanket off. He groaned from under the pillow covering his face and Kylie yanked the pillow away. Eduardo covered his eyes with his arms, Kylie drug him off the couch.

"All right! All right." Eduardo got to his feet, stretching. "Up don't mean I'm awake."

"Just make sure you shoot the ghost, not me," Kylie warned him.

Eduardo yawned, scratching his chin. "Whatever."

The two walked downstairs, still trying to wake up.

"Think we should let Egon know we're goin'?" Eduardo asked, stretching again.

"No. Gotta feeling it's a false alarm. Never heard of a cloud that _ate_ people."

Eduardo yawned, getting in behind the wheel. "Me neither."

They pulled out, heading down the street.

#

Eduardo stopped Ecto-1 homeless shelter. There were no lights on and no one came out to greet the two of them.

"Maybe it was some kids," Eduardo said. He yawned again. "Let's go back."

Kylie laid her head on the dash. "If it is kids, I'm going to find them and shoo them instead."

Eduardo chuckled, looking at the building. His smiled faded suddenly.

Kylie looked up to say something and noticed the sudden change. "What's wrong?" she asked, watching Eduardo tense some more.

"I think we ought'a call the others, Kylie," he said quietly.

She scowled, getting out. "Chicken."

"Kylie, I'm telling you, this doesn't feel right. Seriously. I think we ought'a at least call Egon or something. Let 'im know where we're here." Kylie stopped at the back, looking around the corner at Eduardo. He looked really upset and it wasn't fear. "Eduardo, what aren't you telling me?"

Eduardo looked at Kylie. "Kylie, I _really_ think we should call Egon."

Kylie walked up, putting a hand on Eduardo's chest. "You go call Egon. I'm going to have a look around."

"NO!" Eduardo grabbed her arm before she walked away.

Kylie looked strangely at him, pulling away. "Eduar—"

Both looked up. A cloud was hanging over their heads.

"Uh-oh," they said together. Then the cloud ate them.

#

Eduardo felt like he was lying on air. He picked himself up and shook his head some before looking around. He sat down with a sigh. All he could see was what appeared to be black clouds. He heard a low moan and Kylie sat up, holding her head. Eduardo crawled over to her, sitting down again.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"My best guess wouldn't even come close," Eduardo said. "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts. You?"

"Fine. Last thing I remember was being eaten by a cloud thing."

"Ditto." Kylie started to get to her feet. Tentacles of cloud shot up and pulled her below the clouds.

"KYLIE!" Eduardo screamed, jumping to his feet. Tentacles lashed out, wrapping around him and drug him below the cloudy surface. Everything went black and he was falling through space. Eduardo landed hard, a spike of pain racing up his arm.

"Eduardo," Kylie said, kneeling by him. Eduardo looked up at her, then around.

Two men, a woman and a boy were with them, eyeing the two. The six were in a room with no obvious exits. Eduardo got to his feet, holding his bruised armed.

"Are you okay?" Kylie asked.

Eduardo nodded.

They heard screaming and looked up. A ceiling of black clouds opened and Roland came falling through. Followed by Egon, Garrett and Janine. Egon got to his feet, brushing off his pajamas. Roland helped Janine to her feet and both helped Garrett get upright again.

"You are in my game now," a voice bellowed. A cloud face appeared in the black clouds over their head. "You have a chance to leave. You must find the exit."

"How? We're in a closed room?" A man wearing a smart business suit demanded.

An opening appeared. "That might be the exit," the voice chuckled. Another opening appeared. "Or _that_ one might be. You decide. If you lose, you will never see your world again." The face disappeared.

There was a moment of silence. Garrett started towards an exit and Eduardo grabbed the back of his chair, hauling him back. A hand reached through the opening, grabbing air where Garrett had been.

Garrett visibly shuddered. "It would have grabbed me."

"Yeah. I know," Eduardo said.

"How are we supposed to get out of here when this _thing_ trapped the so-called _Ghostbusters_," the man in the business suit jabbed.

"Hey! We didn't even know this thing was in town, buddy," Garrett snarled back. "So—"

"Garrett," Egon said quietly. "We can't get out of this fighting. And we obviously cannot go through that door," Egon said, motioning to the one that Garrett had already tried.

"Then we go through that one," the man pointed to the other door.

"That would be a bad idea too," Eduardo told him quietly.

Everyone looked at him. He looked down, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Egon looked at the others. "I think Eduardo is right. I don't think the entity would let us leave so easily."

"I think you're wrong. And when I get back you all are going down," the man snarled, then scoffed. "You didn't even know it was in town." He spun, storming towards the second exit. The man passed through the doorway, screamed and disappeared.

"He chose poorly." Eduardo smirked to himself.

"How are we going to get out? If both of these doors are traps..." the woman started. She was middle-aged with dark brown hair dressed in jeans and a baggy, tattered sweater.

"We'll think of something," Roland assured her.

"Like what!?" She screeched. "I have two kids to pick up from the sitter at three! I _have_ to get home!"

"We're doing the best we can. Now if—" Egon started.

"We aren't doing anything at all, mister," the second man snapped at Egon.

"Hey, what do you know?" Kylie snapped back at the man.

A full-fledged fight broke out with Egon and Janine trying to calm the others down. Eduardo crossed his arms, watching them for a moment. He looked around them at the boy. The child had his knees hugged to his chest as he rocked. Eduardo walked over, kneeling down. "Hey," Eduardo said.

The boy looked at him, sniffing.

"It's okay. Really. What's your name?"

"Th-Th-Thomas."

"Eduardo." Eduardo held out his hand.

Thomas shook it. "My friends call me Tom," Thomas informed him.

"Tom it is. You like the Ghostbusters?"

Tom nodded.

Eduardo grinned, leaning close. "I'm kinda fond of them myself."

Tom giggled.

Eduardo stood, looking down at him. "Stay here and watch my back, okay?"

Tom nodded. Eduardo walked over to the wall. He touched it and quickly shrank back from it with a disgusted cringe. Eduardo began walking along the wall, pushing on it as he walked. He suddenly disappeared through the wall. Tom scrambled to his feet, watching the spot. Eduardo came back through, smiling at him. Tom ran over, leeching onto Eduardo's hand. Eduardo looked at the group. They were still fighting and now Egon was the only one trying to stop it. Eduardo pulled his hand free from Tom, pulled his glove off and let out a shrill whistle. The room echoed it, sending it painfully back. Everyone turned, looking at him.

"Wha—" Garrett started to yell.

"I'm leaving," Eduardo informed them. He grabbed Tom's hand and disappeared through the wall.

Egon didn't wait for the others. He followed Eduardo and Janine was right behind. Then the five followed them. The group was standing on a ledge high above molten rock. A narrow natural bridge was the only way to the opposite side.

"There _has_ to be another way," Janine whispered.

"Yeah, Wonder Bread. This ain't it," Garrett snarled at Eduardo.

Eduardo only glanced at him. He crouched down, holding Tom's shoulders. "You trust me amigo?"

Tom nodded.

"That could be a crazy thing to do," Eduardo teased, standing up. He held his hand out for Tom's. Tom took it, smiling up at Eduardo. The two headed for the bridge.

Tom stopped before his foot sat down on the bridge. "What is that stuff?" Tom asked, pointing at the liquid below.

"Ever seen a volcano on T.V.?" Eduardo asked.

Tom thought, and then nodded. Tom looked back up at Eduardo. "That's the stuff that comes out?"

The two started walking across the bridge.

"Yeah," Eduardo answered. "Called magma down here. When it comes out they call it lava. See the black stuff?"

"Yeah."

"That's what it looks like when it cools."

"Cool! Where'd you learn all that?"

"In school. In books."

"When we get home, will you show me?"

"Sure thing."

Tom and Eduardo disappeared over the top of the bridge.

"Eduardo just got that kid to cross the bridge," Roland said, amazed.

"Forget the kid!" Kylie cried. "Eduardo just crossed it like it was the way home."

"It is," Egon said. He grabbed Janine's hand, heading towards the bridge.

They disappeared across it. The five followed at a run. The woman leapt off the bridge as it began to collapse under her. The nine of them stared at it, watching it fall apart.

"Eduardo...what would'a happened if it fell when we were on it?" Tom asked. Eduardo looked down at him. He turned, starting to walk down the tunnel ahead of them.

"You like basketball?" Eduardo asked, obviously avoiding the answer to the question.

"I like hockey more."

"Hockey's cool."

Tom giggled. "Yeah. It's cool."

The two laughed, letting the others pass by and lead the way.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I'm tired," the woman complained.

"Me too," Janine said.

Egon nodded, looking for a place to rest. He finally spotted a hole in the wall and walked over, disappearing inside. He came back to the opening, motioning them inside. The group went in, finding themselves in a room. Everyone sank down to the floor, sighing as one.

"How long have we been in this fun house?" The man asked.

"Eighteen hours," Roland answered.

"Feels like it to."

Eduardo got up, digging in his vest pockets. He pulled out a candy bar and tore off the wrapper. He walked over to the woman, handing her a piece.

"Hey, you know, never did catch your name," Eduardo said to her.

"Olivia. Olivia Lemming," she answered, taking the piece of candy bar. "I'm on a diet."

"Hey la—" Garrett started.

"Put a sock in it loose lips," Eduardo snapped at him. "Loose lips over there is Garrett. I'm Eduardo. Kylie, Roland, Janine, Egon and that's Tom." Eduardo held out his hand.

She shook it. "Please ta meet ya. And you might wanna eat that. Don't think we'll find a Jenny Craig meal any time soon." Eduardo smiled.

She smiled. "Thank you."

Eduardo walked over to the man, handing him a piece. "Ryder Whithearst," he said.

"You're not from New York, huh?"

"No. Montana. That obvious?"

"Naw. Just guessin'." Ryder smiled. Eduardo turned; handing out the other's their piece of the candy bar. He sat back down with Tom, handing him the rest of the candy bar.

"What about you?" Janine asked.

"Huh?"

"Aren't you going to have any?"

Eduardo looked at Tom, smiling. "I'm beat."

Tom curled up beside Eduardo, looking at the chocolate. He broke it in two, handing half to Eduardo. "No. You eat it Tom. You need it more."

"But you'll get hungry."

"I'll eat my glove," Eduardo joked, tickling him.

Tom giggled, smiling at him. He popped both halves in his mouth. The room fell silent. One by one the others started to drop off to sleep. Eduardo wasn't paying any attention when Kylie moved beside him.

"Eduardo," Kylie said.

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Could...Would you...mind...letting me..."

Eduardo held up his arm and she snuggled close beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. Soon she was asleep beside him. Eduardo let his mind wonder down lanes of thought, forcing himself to stay awake. Eduardo tensed suddenly, raising his head. He slowly got up, laying Kylie against the wall. Eduardo walked over to the crack, listening. His eyes grew large suddenly. He spun, pulling Roland to his feet and almost throwing him away from the opening. All of which woke Roland up.

"EDUARDO!" Roland hissed, waking the others.

Eduardo grabbed Karen's wrist, yanking her up and pulling her away from the opening in the nick of time. A spear tipped leg came crashing through the crack, stabbing the stone where Olivia had been. Olivia gasped, hiding behind Eduardo. Tom ran up to Eduardo, holding on to Eduardo's belt. Everyone else backed away, watching the foot probe as far as it could reach inside. The foot retreated and all but Eduardo relaxed. Olivia looked up at him.

"Is it gone?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah. It's gone," Roland answered.

"No. It ain't," Eduardo said.

"Do you see a foot?" Garrett snapped at him. Then raised his voice. "No. It's gone, Goat Boy. And who—"

Eduardo moved fast, shoving his hand over Garrett's mouth. He leaned close, saying quietly. "It ain't gone, Roller Boy. Now shut up!" As if on cue, the leg slipped back through the opening—holding an eye. Olivia clung to Eduardo again. Tom pressed even closer. Everyone moved further back, staring at it. The eye stopped at each of them, watching. The leg disappeared again and there was a chittering sound. Then something started beating on the wall so hard it began to crack and fall apart.

"We're gonna die!" Ryder cried. He spun and grabbed Roland's T-shirt. "DO SOMETHING!"

"Like what? We don't have any weapons.

"We have a trap," Kylie said, holding it up.

Garrett grabbed it, aiming it at the open.

Eduardo grabbed it from him. "Ain't a ghost, brain-ee-ack," Eduardo snarled, slamming it down on Garrett's lap. "Trap won't touch it."

"How do you know?" Garrett demanded.

"Yes. How _do_ you know?" Egon pressed.

"Wouldn't kill all of you to trust me once in a while," Eduardo grumbled.

The wall caved in and two very large and very altered ants stared back at them. Each had spears on the ends of their legs, scythes at the end of their antennas and serrated razor sharp pinchers.

"Something tells me these aren't your average picnic ants," Garrett said, moving back.

"What was your first clue?" Kylie said. "What I wouldn't give for a proton pack."

"We're gonna die," Ryder whimpered.

Tom looked at Eduardo. "Are we gonna die?" He was crying, his fingers white they were holding onto Eduardo's belt so tight.

Eduardo looked upset, but not from fear. The ants started advancing towards them and they all backed away.

"What are we going to do!?" Janine cried.

"Could hurl one of us at it," Garrett suggested.

No one commented.

"Bet they would probably burn real nice like," Eduardo thought out loud.

"And how, genius, do you propose we do _that_?" Roland snarled at him.

Eduardo pressed his lips together a moment. He closed his eyes, holding his hands in front of him with the wrists together. He curled his hands out and around an imaginary ball.

"Eduardo—" Kylie started. Egon's hand on her shoulder silenced her.

Eduardo stood straight, looking at the ants. "I call upon the power of sun, the energy of fire, the strength of heat." In his hands a gaseous ball began to form. Eduardo repeated it three times and the ball grew three times larger. Eduardo thrust his hands out towards the ants, yelling, "BLAST!" The fireball grew larger as it raced towards the ants, split at the last moment and engulfed the two ants. In a bright flash of light the ants were gone.

"Son of a—" Eduardo cried, grimacing. He held his hands in front of him, biting his bottom lip.

The others were dumbfound a moment. Kylie walked up, grabbing Eduardo's wrists. He stood still, muttering curses under his breath. His hands were red, as if he'd touched a hot stove.

Kylie looked up at him. "Are you going to be okay?" Kylie asked.

"In a while." Eduardo pulled away, growing quiet again.

"You've done this before?" She asked.

"Yeah." Eduardo looked towards the ants were. "I bet they weren't alone, either."

He started towards the opening.

"You've done this before?" Kylie repeated.

Eduardo slowed to a stop. "Yeah."

"How? I mean, that's like—"

"Witchcraft." Eduardo turned, looking at her. "Witchcraft, Kylie."

"But...how?"

Eduardo looked down. "Usually takes a witch, now don't it?"

Kylie let out a disbelieving laugh. "You're saying you're a witch?"

Eduardo shook his head. "Yeah." Eduardo looked right at Kylie. "And _that's_ why Lita chose me. And I have been one for better than thirteen years."

Kylie gasped. Eduardo turned, walking again. "And I ain't hanging around here to see what friends show up next."

The others hesitated, but eventually followed Eduardo.

#

The nine stopped. Ahead of them were sixteen guards dressed in heavy armor and brandishing an assortment of weapons. The guards formed a line across a wide opening with impenetrable blackness beyond. Except for going back, the opening was the only other direction to go.

One of the guards stepped forward, and announced, "You have reached the first challenge."

"That's _lovely_ to know," Janine muttered sarcastically.

"Only the chosen one may enter," the guard continued. "The clue to which of you is to complete this task is: this one guards with a powerful point."

The nine waited for more. The guard returned to his position in the line.

"That's it!?" Ryder cried.

The guard said nothing more.

"Okay," Kylie turned, facing the others. "What could that mean?"

"A whole lot," Garrett answered. "Maybe it's Eddy, the Warlock," Garrett joked.

Janine slapped the back of his head.

He smiled anyway. "It's got to mean something else," Roland mused.

They all thought for a moment.

Karen's eyes lit up suddenly. "Garrett."

"Yeah?" Garrett asked.

"It's you."

"Huh?"

"Your name means—"

Egon interrupted, seeing what she realized. "Powerful with a spear or to guard."

"Me?" Garrett barely got the word out.

"That has to be it," Ryder said. "Nothing else really makes sense."

"And if it's not?"

"Hope they just think your underage," Eduardo said.

Garrett frowned, looking at the guards. He headed towards them and they parted, letting him into the darkness beyond. Lights came on and he found himself in the middle of a basketball court. A ball dropped from somewhere and rolled to a stop in front of him. Garrett felt relieved. Something he knew.

"You have to make ten points," a voice said from somewhere. "In five minutes."

Garrett grinned. Cake!

Suddenly he was thrown from his chair and it disappeared into the darkness beyond.

"On your feet," the voice added.

"WHAT!?" Garrett screeched. "I can't walk! Let alone run!"

"The time will be started soon," the voice said.

Garrett looked at the ball. He looked up when a scoreboard appeared in the darkness. The timer and score were both at zero. Garrett decided to take a chance. He slowly sat up, and then even more carefully pulled himself to his feet.

Beyond the guards the others watched in horror.

"He has to do this on his feet?" Eduardo whispered.

Garrett fell when he got to his knees.

"He can't! This isn't even fair," Kylie whimpered.

Eduardo glanced at her, then back up. "Then we'll even the odds."

Kylie looked up at him. He had his eyes closed and was whispering words. She looked back. Garrett got to his feet and this time he stood. Kylie could have kissed Eduardo for saving them like this. Garrett picked up the ball and the timer started. He ran awkwardly to the first net and scored, then spun and ran to the second one and barely scored. Back and forth ten times, each time almost not making it. The buzzer ran as his last ball was sailing through the air. Garrett held his breath. The ball hit the backboard, bounced against the front of the ring and through the net. And Garrett could no longer stand. He fell on his hip, sending a jarring pain through his back. The guards disappeared and the seven ran to Garrett. Roland grabbed his chair that had reappeared and ran it over to him.

"Are you okay?" Kylie asked, helping him sit up.

"Okay? Okay!? I'm _GREAT_!" Garrett cried, letting Kylie and Eduardo help him back in his chair. He looked at Kylie, grabbing her hand. "I ran! On my feet."

Kylie smiled. "Yeah. I know."

Garrett beamed. "I can't believe it."

"And I bet this thing didn't intend on this being an inspirational experience." Olivia laughed. "You did good, Garrett."

"You have my vote," Ryder said.

Kylie looked at Eduardo. He said nothing to make Garrett think differently. Kylie smiled at him when he looked at her. No one had to know the truth. Least of all Garrett.

"We need to get moving," Egon said.

Eduardo started walking, glancing at Kylie. She smiled again, sliding her hand in his and gave him a wink. Eduardo glanced at Garrett behind them, smiling too.

Garrett fell in behind them, still speechless at what he had just done.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Another one," Ryder groaned, stopping.

They all came to a stop.

There was a line of guards in front of them just like the one before. They all looked at Eduardo.

He sighed, walking forward.

"Only a chosen one can enter," a guard said. "This one is Greek."

"Great." Eduardo turned, looking at the seven. "Who's Greek?"

"He's playing on names again," Olivia said, looking at Egon. "My name is Grecian."

"Yes. It is. Good luck," Egon said.

Olivia walked forward and the guards let her go through. Olivia stopped, looking back at them and Eduardo. She waited for him to meet her gaze, smiled then continued forward. Lights came up and she stopped short. There was a chair with a violin sitting on it. In front of it was a metronome. Olivia swallowed. She walked over to the chair, picking up the violin and sitting down. She didn't have to guess what this was. Olivia positioned the violin under her chin and started playing. The meter began to swing back and forth, slowly picking up pace.

"It's going to get faster," Roland said, stepping up beside Eduardo.

"Much faster," Eduardo said. "Roland, tell me when it's going to fast, k?"

"All right," Roland answered.

Kylie grabbed his hand again, holding tight. Eduardo watched Olivia, preparing the spell in his mind. Karen's music drifted out to them like the theme to some twisted horror movie. "Now," Roland said. Eduardo started whispering, watching Olivia. Garrett had come up beside Kylie. He looked at Eduardo, then Egon on his other side. Egon wasn't paying any attention. His attention, like everyone else's, was on Olivia. The metronome got faster and she played on, not missing. Suddenly the metronome blew up and she jumped away from it, knocking the chair over. The guards disappeared, letting the seven in. Olivia turned, beaming.

Garrett grabbed Eduardo before he moved, watching the others leave. "You did something for me, didn't you?" Garrett asked Eduardo.

"Huh?"

"So I could play basketball."

"No, man." Eduardo smiled at him. "You did it all on your own."

"But—"

"Let it go, Garrett. Let it go." Eduardo started walking. Garrett sighed, following him.

#

The five stopped, staring at the wall in front of them.

"Another dead end," Olivia sighed.

They turned and two walls slammed shut behind them, trapping them in a room.

Eduardo let out a long sigh. He was starting to feel exhausted. The nine sat down at the same time.

"I'm tired," Ryder said.

"Makes nine of us," Kylie said, resting her chin in her hands. "Wonder what time it is." Olivia thought out loud.

The floor started moving. They all leapt to their feet, backing against the wall.

Tom suddenly screamed. Eduardo looked down to see him being sucked through the wall. He grabbed Tom's arms, pulling back.

"HELP ME!" Eduardo yelled.

Roland ran over with Egon and Ryder. The four pulled back and began to make some progress. Tentacles lashed out from the wall, throwing them back. Eduardo leapt back to his feet, grabbing at Tom's hand before it went through. He pulled back but Tom's hand slip from his grasp.

"NO!" Eduardo screamed, watching the hand disappear. He slammed his fists against the wall, closing his eyes. "No," he said quieter.

Someone chuckled. Eduardo spun, seeing a face in the cloud ceiling above. "This should make things easier. Don't disappoint me," the face started to disappear.

"And I got something to say to you, ghoulie!" Eduardo yelled at the top of his lungs.

The face returned. "Oh?"

"We're gonna win, spook. And there ain't no spook the Ghostbusters can't bust, and that means a sorry excuse of a dead thing like you!"

"Is that a threat?" The face grinned.

"No. It's a promise," Eduardo growled.

The face laughed and the laughter resounded even after it left. The two walls slid open again.

"Stupid lazy have ta mess with everyone's life good for nothin' ghoulie," Eduardo muttered.

"Down, boy," Garrett told Eduardo.

Eduardo looked around.

Everyone was staring at him.

"What?" Eduardo snarled at them. "We gotta go," Eduardo said, grabbing Kylie's hand and pulling her with him towards a tunnel.

"Eduar—" Egon started to argue.

"Look," Ryder said, trotting after Eduardo. "You wanna stick around and see what monster shows up next, be my guest. I ain't."

Olivia trotted after the three. "Come on," she urged them.

Something chattered in the darkness beyond. Enough to prompt the four to hurry after Eduardo.

For a while they traveled in silence with Eduardo leading. He stopped at an opening in the wall and disappeared, then came back, motioning them in.

"We're going in another one?" Garrett asked.

Olivia glanced at him before she disappeared inside with Kylie, Janine and Ryder.

"I guess we're going. I could use some assistance," Garrett said.

Egon and Roland helped him through the hole then followed. They came into another room. Eduardo was waiting by the opening for them. He sat down by the opening, holding his arms. There was a moment of silence.

"So, Ed, who died and made you leader?" Garrett asked.

Eduardo didn't answer.

Garrett rolled over to him." You throw out a bunch of mumbo jumbo and now you're leading us around. What's with that?"

"Back off Garrett," Eduardo growled, glaring at him.

"No. I—" Garrett started.

Eduardo sprang to his feet, getting in Garrett's face. "You know, if you ever shut-up it wouldn't be anything short of a miracle, Garrett. It's my fault the ghoulie got Tom and I ain't in no mood for you right now."

Garrett stared at him. "It's not your fault," Garrett said quietly.

"Yeah. Whatever." Eduardo turned away with a sigh.

There was a long silence.

"We should get some sleep," Egon said.

"Hey, uhm, Eduardo," Ryder said.

"What?" Eduardo asked quietly.

"I could pull guard duty this time. You haven't slept since we got in here."

Eduardo didn't answer.

Ryder frowned, sitting down.

"Okay," Eduardo said, turning away. He walked over to a corner and sat down. Kylie got up and lay down beside him. The two were asleep almost immediately.

In minutes the room was quiet and few hours they got rest. Eduardo sat straight up, waking Kylie.

Kylie sat up, looking around. "What?" she asked.

Eduardo put a finger to his lips, listening.

A feeler reached through the hole. Eduardo leapt up, grabbed Ryder's arm and half drug him back before he found his feet. The three stared at the feeler.

"It's getting longer," Kylie whispered, moving beside Eduardo.

"Eduardo, do something," Olivia hissed. She was cowering behind Roland.

Eduardo frowned, backing up. He ran into someone and looked over his shoulder to see who it was. Kylie was behind him watching the feeler as it slowly stretched toward the group.

"EDUARDO!" Kylie hissed.

Eduardo frowned, looking back at the feeler.

"Take your time, Eduardo," Ryder told Eduardo, patting his shoulder. Then, in a shaking voice, added, "Just not too _much_ time."

Eduardo closed his eyes, thinking. "Everyone down. Cover your heads," Eduardo ordered.

"Wh—" Roland started. Olivia yanked Roland to the floor, covering her head with her hands.

The others dropped to the floor, covering their heads. Eduardo held his hands together, pointing toward the hole and began to trace double circles in the air. "Mystic power, enter now, bring a force, ten times stronger," Eduardo recited. He thrust his palms towards the hole and vibrating waves of air raced towards the wall. Eduardo dropped to the floor beside Kylie. There was a loud explosion and the ground shook, then pieces of stone and bug rained down. No one moved for a moment. Eduardo leaned up, laying a hand on Kylie's head.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

Kylie leaned up on her elbows, looking at him. "You've had better ideas Eduardo."

"You're welcome," Eduardo grumbled.

Kylie got to her feet.

Eduardo got up and helped Olivia and Janine up. They eight turned and found themselves trapped in a smaller room.

"This is getting to be a seriously sick joke," Garrett grumbled.

"Tell me about it," Ryder agreed.

"LET GO!" Eduardo screamed.

They turned, seeing tentacles pulling Eduardo into the black clouds over their heads. Roland and Ryder grabbed a leg, trying to pull him back out. Tentacles lashed out, throwing them back against the wall. The tentacles yanked Eduardo through the clouds, his scream the last thing to go. They stared at the clouds. Behind them the illusionary wall vanished.

"We're going to die," Olivia whimpered.

Roland put an arm around her. "No. We'll be fine."

"He was our only protection," Olivia whispered, starting to cry.

Egon and Roland looked at each other. Egon turned, looking at Kylie. She was holding her elbows, staring wide-eyed at the floor.

"We'll make it," Egon said, sounding positive. "We have to or we won't get Eduardo back."

"And I ain't losin' him to _another_ spook!" Garrett snarled. Garrett headed towards the opening. All of them were more determined to win now.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The six sat on the ground, watching Egon and a shapeless phantom play chess.

"How long have they been in there?" Garrett asked.

"Three hours," Roland answered.

"I can't believe this. Chess. Of everything it had to be chess!" Garrett complained.

"Could have been Monopoly," Ryder joked.

Kylie glanced at him, then back at Egon.

"Checkmate," Egon said, his voice sounding like it was amplified by a bullhorn.

The ghost, table, game and guards disappeared. The six got up and walked over to Egon.

"Chess champ!" Garrett laughed.

Egon straightened his glasses. "He was a very challenging opponent."

"Yeah, but you're better," Garrett said, smiling.

Egon smiled, a rare expression for him. They all laughed.

"On that note, shall we?" Janine said with a sigh.

They started walking and it seemed hours before they came to the next line of guards. The seven stopped.

"Only the horseman may pass," One said.

"Ah man!" Ryder cried. "That's me."

"Good luck man," Roland said, clapping Ryder on the back.

"Yeah. Good luck," Garrett added.

Ryder took a deep breath and walked forward. The guards let him pass. The area beyond lit up and there was a huge black horse tied to a pole. It had flaming red eyes and was snorting fire. Its hooves were made of steel and it was foaming at the mouth as it chomped on a thick straight steel bit.

Ryder froze, staring at it.

"You must stay on for eighteen seconds," a voice boomed, spooking the horse.

"_Eighteen seconds_! It's only s'pose' to be eight," Ryder yelled.

There was no response. The six heard Ryder weakly add, "And from a chute so I can get on."

Ryder approached the horse and untied the rope from the pole. He moved fast, almost vaulting into the saddle. The horse jumped, bucking hard. Ryder gripped the saddle horn with both hands and wrapped his legs around the horse. The horse spun and reared, bucked and pitched, working up a frothy sweat trying to dismount Ryder. A buzzer rang and everything disappeared with Ryder high up in the air. Roland and Egon ran toward where he was falling, trying to catch him. Instead they broke his fall, all three crashing to the ground. Ryder leapt up, almost single-handedly pulling Egon and Roland to their feet.

He let out a whoop. "Did you see that?" Ryder clapped Egon on the shoulders, his shining hazel eyes flashing with excitement. "Did you see that ride!? And for eighteen seconds! I rode that monster for eighteen seconds!"

Egon nodded. "You did."

Ryder spun, letting out another whoop. He grabbed Kylie, whirling her around with him. She laughed, pulling away. Ryder spun around to face Janine and when she hardly smiled he stopped. All his previous excitement and joy left.

"That just leaves one of us," Ryder said, watching her.

Janine looked down, holding her queasy stomach.

"You'll do fine, Janine. We have faith in you," Ryder added.

Janine offered him a weak smile. They began walking again. Half an hour later found them at the last line of guards. Janine walked towards them, trying to keep her mouth from going dry. Beyond them light revealed a series of uneven bars spanned a gap. Below molten rock bubbled and boiled. Janine stopped, staring.

"I haven't done uneven bars in... In twenty years," Janine whispered.

Behind her Egon held his breath.

Janine took off her jacket and kicked her shoes off. She walked over to the ledge, looking down.

"This is a twist to the event," Janine whispered.

She stepped back, closing her eyes. She took a long deep breath as she backed, and then let it out. Janine opened her eyes, looking at the first uneven bar. She ran towards them, leapt and grabbed the first one. Janine started across the bars, the bars creaking in the silence. She was halfway when a fire burst up from the lava below. Janine was about to let go to the next one and almost lost her grip. She spun up and held herself straight up, waiting for the flames to die down. It finally did and she continued. Janine reached the last bar and dismounted with a triple spin, landing on her feet. Janine froze where she'd landed, expecting the world to end suddenly. Then Egon was holding her. Janine let out a shaky sigh, holding him tight. "You did it," Egon said, hugging her. "I knew you could." Janine smiled, hugging him back. They turned, following the others down the only path left. It disappeared into a dark tunnel where light seemed forbidden. The seven stopped at the tunnel entrance.

"I'm scared," Olivia whispered.

"We all are," Janine told her.

"It's the only way," Kylie said. "The bridge collapsed behind us."

They started walking as one into the darkness. The end appeared suddenly, opening into a wide room. There was a narrow earthen bridge stretching across boiling lava. On the far end of the room, at the top of a stone staircase, a demon sat on top of a throne of bones. He had two huge canine teeth sticking up from his lower jaw and a thin face covered with wiry hair. Sharp pointed bones stuck out of his face and neck and he wore robes as red as the lava below. At the bottom of the staircase were two of the guards they had kept meeting. Each guard held a huge long handled battle-ax. Eduardo was sitting at the bottom of the staircase, one arm resting on his knee with his chin in hand and drawing circles in the dirt with his other hand. Eduardo looked up, saw them and his face brightened. He got up, heading towards them. The guards brought their axes down, stopping him. The earth began to shake and the group pressed together. The bridge on either side of them collapsed, leaving them stranded on a pillar high above a sea of lava. The seven looked at Eduardo.

Eduardo spun, facing the demon. "You promised! You promised if I stayed here while they finished we could all leave!" Eduardo yelled.

The demon chuckled. He pressed his bony hands together in a steeple. "I lied," the demon said in a low voice full of dark humor.

"Let us go," Eduardo demanded. "We played your stinkin' game and we _won_!"

The demon leaned forward, his red eyes showing his ill humor even more. "And wasn't it fun? Now for the grand finale."

The ground began to shake again and around the seven chunks of pillar began falling away.

"You were the only true entertainment," the demon told Eduardo. "No one _ever_ leaves here alive."

Eduardo spun, shoving down on the axes and throwing the guards off balance. He jumped over their axes and hit the ground running. Eduardo jumped to leap across the gap between the land and the bridge and something grabbed his ankle, pulling him down just short of falling off the edge. Eduardo grabbed the edge, pulling against whatever had him by the ankle. Eduardo looked at them.

"Garrett, I need it," Eduardo yelled.

Garrett looked at him. "Need what?" Garrett yelled back.

"The trap, Garrett. Toss him the trap," Kylie said.

"What good will that do?" Garrett asked.

"Maybe nothing," Egon said. He moved away from the crumbling edge. "Or maybe save our lives."

Garrett pulled the trap out from behind him, waiting for Eduardo to look up at him.

Eduardo had turned and was beating on the tentacle of black cloud that now had him by the waist. The tentacle pulled let go finally. Eduardo jumped up, holding out his hands. Garrett tossed the trap, watching it sail across to Eduardo. Eduardo grabbed it, hugging it to his chest. Black cloud tentacles leaped out from the air, wrapping around him. Eduardo yelled and fought against them. The tentacles drug him back to the stairs and let him go halfway up the staircase. Eduardo scrambled to his feet, watching the column fall away from under the seven.

"You will be here a long, long time," the demon laughed.

Eduardo got to his feet, staring where the seven had been. He put his finger on the button, holding the trap to his chest.

"Messin' with the Ghostbusters was a big mistake, ghoulie," Eduardo said.

"Oh really?" The demon laughed.

Eduardo spun, pushing the button. Light burst into the darkness, shining on the demon. He screamed, shielding his eyes with his arms. The demon called for his guards. Eduardo spun as the demon disappeared in the trap. The guards turned to run from the light but met the same fate as their master. The room became a swirl of color as everything the demon had created was pulled into the trap. All of a sudden Eduardo found himself miles above the water of Jamaica Bay. Eduardo started plummeting towards it, watching the last of the island disappear into the trap. The trap snapped shut and something bright flashed in Eduardo's eyes. He turned his head, closing his eyes.

#

Eduardo sat up, grabbing the couch. He looked around, dazed for a moment. He was back in the Forestation and the morning sky was a shocking pink and peach. Kylie was asleep in the chair. She looked like she was just slipping away from a dream that had pulled her into a hunched ball. Eduardo let out a sigh, rubbing his face with both hands. He sat up and began searching for the television remote. His hand slid under the blanket and touched something cold and hard. Eduardo lifted the blanket, staring at the trap beside his hand. For a few minutes he could only stare as reality hit him. It had been no dream; and the flashing light indicating it contained a ghost was proof of that. Eduardo held his breath when Kylie sighed, but she only turned over without waking up. Eduardo looked back at the trap, gingerly picking it up by the handle. He got up and half ran down to the basement. Eduardo hurried to put the ghost in the Containment Unit, expecting Egon or Kylie or Janine to appear at the door any moment. He tossed the trap in the box by the workbench at the back and hurried upstairs. Eduardo sat down at Janine's desk and began doing paper work Egon had assigned him last night. Janine came in five minutes after eight, late for her, and fell into the chair by her desk.

"Rough night?" Eduardo asked.

"Don't ask," Janine growled.

Roland came in, followed by Garrett. Eduardo wandered upstairs, falling onto the couch. He switched on the television and the morning news came on. Eduardo started to change it, but Roland grabbed the remote, turning up the volume.

"...Medical officials are still at a loss as to the reason behind the coincidentally similar dreams. Dozens of people in the New York area have been reporting them, yet no evidence of this 'mountain of terror' has been found as of yet. We will keep you updated throughout the day. In national news..."

"Mountain of Terror?" Roland mused aloud.

Eduardo looked up, finding everyone gathered around the television. He grabbed the remote from Roland and switched to morning cartoons. Eduardo pretended to be paying attention to the cartoons, but listened listening closely to what the others said.

"I had a dream we were all in a place and we had to meet these challenges," Janine said.

"So did I," the four said in unison.

Kylie looked down at Eduardo. "And you were in it."

Eduardo grinned, not looking away. "_You_ dreamed about _me_?"

Kylie slapped his shoulder. "You were a witch in it."

Eduardo laughed uneasily. "Me? A witch? Yeah. Right." Eduardo looked at the television, grinning. "I had a dream about Cindy Crawford. Alone. On a beach. And—"

"That's more than we needed to know Tweedle-Dum," Garrett said.

"There must be some reason we've had the same dream. Perhaps we should look into it," Egon suggested. Egon and Kylie wondered towards the stairs, Janine trailing behind.

"I'm going to work on my shot," Garrett said, having lost interest.

"I need to work on the car," Roland said.

Eduardo found himself alone and his smile faded.

"They would'a hung you from the rack if you'd spilled the beans like that. Too close. Way too close Eddy," Eduardo whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky sigh, then turned his attention to his favorite cartoon.


End file.
